Illinois Appeals DOT Case to Fourth Circuit
The State of Illinois has appealed a case against the U.S. Department of Transportation to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, according to a docket entry filed October 20, 2026. The appeal, case number 26-2491, comes from a district court case in the Eastern District of Virginia, numbered 1:26-cv-02547, which was originally filed August 13, 2026 before Judge Ivan Darnell Davis.
The Fourth Circuit docket lists the nature of suit only as "Other Statutes" and gives no cause of action. The entries so far cover routine docketing steps: the case was formally docketed, a notice went out to counsel, and attorney Alex Hemmer entered an appearance for Illinois. No briefs, motions or opinions have been filed yet that describe what DOT rule, grant decision or enforcement action Illinois is contesting.
Freight-sector readers should not assume this case touches trucking, highway funding or safety rules until the underlying complaint or opening brief becomes public. The Eastern District of Virginia case file, filed in August, likely contains that detail but was not included in this docket.
What's next
- Watch the Fourth Circuit docket (26-2491) for the opening brief or motions that will identify the challenged DOT action.
- Check the underlying E.D. Virginia case, 1:26-cv-02547, filed August 13, 2026, for the original complaint.
All sources
- New case: State of Illinois v. United States Department of Transportation — CourtListener docket (Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit), 2026-10-20
